JPMorgan requires continued dominance in centralized crypto exchanges post-FTX

Regardless of the latest implosion of centralized cryptocurrency alternate (CEX) FTX, JPMorgan strategists led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou imagine such exchanges will proceed to dominate the broader crypto ecosystem as decentralized buying and selling platforms face numerous hurdles.

First off, decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols rely closely on CEXs to perform correctly and “it might probably take a very long time till the middle of the worth discovery course of in crypto market shifts from centralized exchanges to DeFi,” the group wrote in a latest observe to purchasers. They added that DEXs are usually not sufficient for big-money traders given their slower transaction speeds or “their buying and selling methods and order dimension to be traceable on the blockchain.”

For (on-chain) DEXs, since every thing will be traced on the blockchain, it is subsequent to not possible to commingle funds with out elevating consideration. That is precisely what FTX (off-chain CEX) reportedly did when it loaned out half of its buyer funds to its sister firm Alameda Analysis in an effort to fund dangerous bets.

Whereas total buying and selling exercise on DEXs appeared to have elevated in latest weeks, that early-stage shift is extra probably a perform of the deleveraging that adopted FTX’s collapse, the group defined. Bernstein highlighted this development in a observe final week, saying the demise of FTX is placing crypto self-custody, which permits customers to retailer their very own tokens as a substitute of counting on off-chain exchanges, “again in vogue.”

Furthermore, DEX buying and selling volumes for final month hit the best degree seen since Could, rising to $103.84B in November versus $57.6B in October, information from DeFiLlama confirmed, signaling decreased confidence in CEXs. Galaxy Digital (OTCPK:BRPHF) founder and CEO Mike Novogratz stated the FTX mess is a “physique blow” to belief within the crypto business and belief within the system.

However JPMorgan remains to be taking the contrarian view, noting DEX’s absence of restrict order/cease loss performance, sensible contract threat (hacks and protocol assaults), their want for over-collateralization, and the pooling of belongings into liquidity swimming pools.

“Threat/return tradeoff [is] harder to evaluate in DeFi given using totally different tokens by way of belongings borrowed or lent/collateral posted/acquired curiosity funds and given the overall absence of restrict order/cease loss performance,” the observe learn.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD), the world’s largest digital token by market cap, dipped as a lot as 7.3% within the days following FTX submitting for chapter on November 11, although virtually all of these losses have been erased on the time of writing. All in all, nonetheless, the token is was nonetheless down over 70% from its November 2021 peak. See why Looking for Alpha contributor Vincent Ventures thinks the “FTX ache is bitcoin’s acquire.”

Fellow SA contributor Craig Pirrong assessed the DeFi-CeFi debate, saying the FTX downfall doesn’t imply that centralization of crypto buying and selling is basically flawed, however as a substitute it showcased the “worst means” to pursue centralization.